


Pinkpetrolheads

by Stulot



Category: robron
Genre: Emmerdale - Freeform, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-09
Updated: 2015-03-09
Packaged: 2018-03-17 02:36:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3512033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stulot/pseuds/Stulot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Robert and Aaron met online?<br/>AU that takes place after Aaron returns from France and there is no White family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pinkpetrolheads

**Author's Note:**

> The idea to this came from the prompt that was given to me: "robert and aaron meets online (any sites) they grew close and they tell each other secrets (but not about the cheat robert did years ago) and Aaron ask him does he want to meet and robert finally comes home where drama start ...."
> 
> Writing someone else's idea was harder than I thought and I'm pretty sure you had something else in mind (sorry!) but this is where my brain took me. 
> 
> Thank you to my friend who found http://pinkpetrolheads.co.uk/. Such and awesome and silly name!

"I used to...."  
Shit. Aaron exhaled heavily. Was it too much? He erased the last words of the sentence. Typed them again. Changed the words. Could he really write that? It wasn't something he usually offloaded on strangers, but at this point, they were hardly that anymore. They were so much more. They'd even had cybersex for Christ's sake. Or sexting, or whatever the term was. Which had been a new experience. The first time had been a little stiff, he'd admit that. Talking dirty had never been his thing and every word he'd tried typing ended up sounding too contrived. It had felt awkward to say the least and Robert had finally gotten the hint and taken the lead. Clearly, he had done it before, judging from how easy his words had appeared on the screen. With some encouragement and reassuring from Robert, the second time had been better. The third time, he'd gotten really into it Aaron thought to himself with a smile playing across his face. 

No, at this point, they were more than just words on a screen to each other. Robert had become his comfort and his happiness. His way to get through the dull, grey and uneventful days. A friend that he'd quickly come to cherish, someone who didn't seem to judge him, but instead was just there, unconditionally. Someday, he hoped they'd be more than friends, he couldn't deny that, even though he liked the pace they were going at; it was like a long, drawn-out flirtatious first date. One where the butterflies in his stomach kept flapping really hard, seemingly never wanting to die. Not that he'd ever admit to having butterflies, not even to Adam. But before they could move on to an actual first date he wanted to share the last piece of himself, but it was proving harder than he imagined it would be. 

Never in a million years had he expected to be sharing so much with someone so quickly the first time he logged onto pinkpetrolheads.co.uk. The name was still ridiculous. At first he had thrown away the membership Adam had signed him up for as a stupid birthday joke. But after a drunken bash, coming back to his room by himself, after spending a night surrounded by couples, his curiosity had gotten the better of him. 

Turned out, not a lot of people were logged onto pinkpetrolheads at two in the morning. Except for one person that had been looking for spare parts, stumbled across the site and was too curious for his own good. They had immediately started chatting and bonding over the silly name and why they were both there in the middle of the night. They had ended up talking until night turned into morning, until drunken jokes had turned into sober laughs and by 6AM, Aaron realized just how much he enjoyed himself. And how much this person had made him smile. Smile in a way he hadn't done for a very long time. 

After that night, it didn't take long until they talked every evening, finding out more and more about each other for each day that passed. Somehow, it was easier spilling your secrets to a stranger than it was talking to people in real life, and god knew, Aaron wasn't good at that. Adam, Paddy, his mum, they all meant well when they wanted him to share and open up more about all that had happened in France, but what was the point really? It was in the past. It wasn't as if he was going to start cutting himself again, and he knew that that was their deepest fear and why they kept tabs on him. But he was home now and he was finally in a good place in his life. If he seemed closed off and moody it was because he was...lonely. Simple as that. Everyone around him had someone and he was happy for them but there was also that bit of jealousy that always tugged at his heart.  
He suspected Adam was onto him since he'd gotten that silly gift, his subtle way of showing him that he cared. 

After a few weeks of chatting they had decided to exchange numbers, it was easier to talk that way. It also meant that instant happiness was always within reach, right there in your pocket. 

Even though they had each other's phone number, neither one of them tried calling, it was like an unspoken barrier they weren't ready to cross just yet. Calling, would indubitably throw their fantasy-esque relationship into reality, transforming it to something different and that was a thought he still found quite daunting as reality had a tendency of screwing things up. He knew he eventually would have to if he wanted to take this to the next step, but Aaron had so far never made any attempt at pressing the call button, and he suspected Robert felt the same way. 

About a week after their first text Aaron had out of the blue received an image of Robert. "Thought it was about time" he'd written. Fuck he was cute, cheeky grin, messy blond hair that you just wanted to run your fingers through. From what he could tell from underneath the fabric of the shirt he was wearing, his body seemed in shape. Not thin as Jackson, not buff as Ed, something in between. Something that seemed just right. What surprised him the most was how young he looked, even though he was six years older than himself.  
To return the favour, Aaron had spent about a good hour trying to take a selfie at work, one that didn't make him look stupid. Debby had caught him a few times, the second time wondering what the hell he was doing and why he wasn't under a bonnet. A good photo didn't come as natural and was as easily captured for him as it seemed to be for the blond model. Whenever Aaron smiled on camera he always ended up looking like a grinning idiot. Or worse, angry. Which, if he was honest, was his default face. In the end, he opted for a photo with humour, making a face, one eye closed, tongue out. The moment he'd pressed send he'd regretted it. He didn't do silly pictures, that wasn't him, why must he act like a prat? Oh god.  
"I like the scruff ;)" came back and put him out of his misery. 

They had sent each other numerous pictures since then. Mostly of themselves, some from their work. Robert's was in some fancy office in Leeds, working with something that took a lot of explanation and not even then did Aaron fully grasp it, or was bothered to understand it for that matter. 

Adam had started to notice all the texting he'd been up to lately. "That thing is surgically attached mate!". His mum had started noticing the change in mood. "So, when will we meet this fella?". And Paddy was his ever-encouraging self. "I think it's smashing, just brilliant. Good, good for you".

Now, he was lying on his bed, fretting over how to word the last piece of him. He'd been honest about so much already, even about Jackson's death, and unbelievable, Robert had taken it all in stride. But this, this was different. This he was self-conscious about, and ashamed of. Therapy had taught him not to hide his past, but this was a part he'd rather kept hidden under his shirt. 

"I used to...hurt myself" he finally typed. Send. 

He thought his heart was going to jump out of his body, it was pounding so hard, as he saw the three little dots blinking on his phone. 

"Hurt how?" finally showed up. 

No point in backing out now. "I used to cut myself. Self-harm you know. After Jackson. It was a mess and I was in a bad place, well you know that. I don't do it anymore though".

"What made you stop?"

"Mum...therapy...friends" Thinking back to it all was still hard and it was something he normally went out of his way to avoid. However, sometimes, it was necessary to face. "This is hard. But I want to be honest..." He could feel his pulse fasten and anxiety rise within, but these days he could easily fight the demons off with some deep breathing. Another thing therapy had taught him. 

"I'm sorry you had to go through that"

Aaron smiled at how unfazed Robert seemed about his new reveal. "Yeah, well it's over now so". 

"How come you told me?"

Shit. Because I'm desperate for this thing to become real, and someday, preferably soon, I want you to rip my shirt off so we can fuck the living daylights out of each other and then I'd really like to snuggle up naked to you under the covers and watch a film in the late afternoon.  
"In case...we'd meet and you'd happen to see them" Smooth Aaron, real smooth, they're under your shirt for crying out loud, now he'll get what your pervy mind is really thinking about. "I've been honest about everything else already, mind as well add the final thing to the list" he quickly typed, hoping of not coming across as too keen.

"So we're gonna meet are we?"

That didn't work. Ok you moron, just tell him what you want. "Well...yeah. Could be fun, don't you think?"

"I'm just messing. I'd love to meet up"

Yes!

Aaron drew a deep breath. Shit, don't fuck this up now. A really big part of him wanted nothing more than to meet Robert for real, but there was also the tiny part of him that was scared that he wouldn't be as perfect in reality as he was through texts. 

"How about next Friday?" Robert beat him to it. "I get off work at four then"

He could hear the thuds from his heart beating loud in his ears. 

"Ok, sure". Great, now his palms were sweaty. Just take another deep breath. 

"Lol. Well don't sound too enthusiastic about it :P"

"Sorry. I'm just nervous I guess" This would never go well, he'd make a fool of himself in front of this perfect guy. Maybe he should stop now before it was too late. 

"Why?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose, why must he be such a pinhead? "That we'll be different in reality compared to how we're here" he finally wrote back after changing it a few times. 

"Hmm... I don't think it will be an issue. Same personalities right? You're a tad grumpy, I'm a tad charming ;)"

Aaron chuckled and instantly felt at ease. It was something Robert had inexplicably become the expert of. That alone should have told him there would be nothing to be nervous about. "True :) sooo, where do you wanna meet?"

"Well, there's plenty to do over here if you fancy it or I could come to Hotten?"

Out of fear that Robert would turn out to be some weird stalker serial killer, Aaron had in the beginning of their chats said he lived close to Hotten without being specific as to where and weirdly, the subject hadn't been brought up since. 

"No, let's meet up in Leeds!"

-

The week went slower than ever and even though they kept up their usual texting routine that made days bearable, they seemed to never end. Apart from Robert insisting they should go to a restaurant he really loved, they hadn't made other plans for their first date, both thought it best just to do what they felt like rather than having some elaborate plan for it. 

The only thing Aaron did plan was what to wear, in fact, he'd been fussing over it since they had set the date. His daily routine of throwing on a hoodie to his trousers wouldn't really work this time. Sure, he'd dressed for dates before but this one was different. More important. He had even tried on some of Adam's stuff, not without some merciless teasing of course, but it had all been slightly too big. 

But as the days passed and Friday finally rolled around, plans were destined to go awry...

"I'm really sorry, but it looks like I'm not going anywhere in a while" He hated writing it, he didn't want to disappoint Robert. 

"Why, what happened?"

"Sprained my ankle at work today, can hardly walk :( " He tried giving his foot a little pressure by putting it on the floor, maybe a couple of hours of bed rest had done the trick he thought but the pain quickly shut down all hope. "And no, this is not me bailing on you" he typed, feeling the need to reassure Robert. 

"Ouch! :/ haha didn't think you were. Have you been to a doctor?"

"Yeah, gave me some strong painkillers. Sorry, was really looking forward to tonight" This was all Adam's fault, if he hadn't called him out to look at the combine and if he hadn't decided to jump down from it, landing on a big rock, he'd been spraying himself with cologne right now but instead he was stuck. 

"Me too :( " 

It took about two seconds before the three dots returned. "This sucks. I wanna see you! What's your address? I'm coming to yours instead!"

"What! No!" This could not happen. He didn't want to be crippled on their first date, besides, he could hardly manage to get himself into the shower. 

"Yes, it's happening. I don't care if you haven't cleaned if that's what you're worried about ;)"

Aaron looked around his room, it wasn't exactly spotless, but that wasn't the worst part. The fact that he was still living with his mother was the real embarrassing part. Robert knew it of course, as he knew so many other things about him, but even so, he didn't want to bring him home on their first date where they wouldn't get any peace and quiet. 

"Come ooooon, addressss" Robert's text insisted impatiently. 

Fuck it, ok, maybe it wouldn't be too bad, maybe they could meet in the pub, at least then his mother wouldn't be able to hear them through the noise of the other guests instead of having her stand by the backroom door listening in. 

"Well?"

"So impatient! Fine. The Woolpack, Emmerdale. I'll try and haul my ass down to the pub and we can have a pint" Somehow he had to make it work. He tried moving his foot again. If he took an extra painkiller or two he might just make it to the shower as well. 

"Woolpack, Emmerdale?"

"That's what I said..." Aaron looked quizzically at the phone. 

After five minutes of not getting anything back, Aaron typed again, "You there?"

"Yeah sorry. Maybe you shouldn't drink though, if you're taking painkillers I mean"

"Haha. I'm sure it's fine" There had to be some perk to this mess, and it wasn't like the package came with a red warning. At least not a big one. 

"Well I could pick you up, we could go to a café or something instead"

Someone was being persistent, Aaron thought and wondered what he could write without coming off too ungrateful at the kind consideration. "I really don't feel like moving any more than necessary though..."

"I could carry you ;)"

"Fat chance!" Aaron snorted and texted back. There would be no carrying and if there was he'd be the one doing it. 

"Right ok."

"Ok what?"

Another long pause ensued. 

"The Wollie it is then. I'll try and be there around six-ish. I better get back to work if I wanna get out of here in time"

"Right, see you later then :D" 

Aaron pocketed his phone again and sat up in his bed and shifted his eyes between his foot, the bathroom, the mess on the floor, the clothes he'd already prepared to use tonight and back to his foot again. Tonight would either be really good or an utter catastrophe. 

\--

"You running late?" 

Robert jumped in his seat as his phone beeped. Not exactly, not at all in fact was the answer. For the last 15 minutes he'd been sitting in his car at the back of the Woolpack, not yet managing to figure out how he could do this. Maybe he'd be lucky and no one he knew would be there. As if. It was half six on a Friday evening. 

There hadn't been many people in his life he would have taken these sorts of risks for, he still couldn't believe he had actually agreed to going here again. Why did the most amazing person he'd ever met had to live here? In his old home. Where everyone knew him, where everyone knew the sort of person he'd once been. The person he wanted to forget. That's why he hadn't told Aaron too much about his past, and every time Aaron had shared his in the brave way that he did, he'd felt so ashamed that he couldn't do the same. It wasn't fair, he knew that. But forgetting who he once was was the only way for him to look forward. 

But as the universe seemed to play a joke on him, here he was, having to face it. 

Robert squeezed the steering wheel tight. "Ok, you can do this. Just walk in there and find Aaron. Forget the rest" That was never going to happen but at least he could cling to the idea of it just a little bit longer. 

Perhaps it was better to tell Aaron over text first, or call? They hadn't done that before. What if his voice was really ugly, what if he was really ugly in real life? Don't be an idiot Robert. Maybe he had some weird mannerisms? Maybe it would be better to just skip the whole thing, save them both a lot of grief. He squeezed the wheel again, knuckles turning white, as a desperate attempt to prevent his mind from spinning. 

"Stop being such a pathetic excuse for a human being, go in there and tell him the truth" a voice in his head pushed. "It's better to do it face-to-face". 

The side door to the pub caught his glance. That was probably the best way to go in as unnoticed as possible. Thankfully, there was no one around as he nervously opened the car door, pulled up his collar in an attempt to hide his face, and hurriedly made his way over to the pub, feeling like a real burglar. 

Peeking through the swing doors outside the toilets, he seemed to once again be in luck as there was some brunette girl behind the bar, one he'd never seen before. Quickly, his eyes darted around the room for familiar faces, was that Edna in the corner? If she was the only one here he knew he might just survive he thought as he kept looking. Next to the bar he saw him. Aaron. Not looking ugly at all. He had his one foot propped up on the seat across from him, his eyes down at his pint in his hand, another one stood waiting on the table. Thankfully, he hadn't seen him yet, which gave him another chance to look through the pub. One part of him wanted to keep on hiding, but the other one wanted nothing more than to run up to Aaron, cup his face and kiss him. The latter option was definitely the stronger one and he couldn't hold himself back any longer, familiar faces be damned. A huge grin spread across his face as he approached him and he managed to come really close before Aaron felt his presence and looked up. 

Damn, he looked even better this close. "H-hi" he stuttered. What was wrong with him?

"So you found it then?" Aaron teased, smiling from both his eyes and lips. 

"Yeah, traffic was a bit bad though" Robert unzipped his jacket and awkwardly looked at Aaron who was taking up all the space in the booth.

"Oh sorry" Aaron laughed and scooted over, pulling a face as he shifted his leg. 

"Does it hurt that bad?" Robert asked, feeling all sorts of concern. 

"I'll live" Aaron gave his shoulders a light shrug. 

Robert sat down next to him and gave him a short, slightly awkward, but affectionate hug. "Hi" he repeated himself. Robert bit his tongue before he said anything else, he was a nervous mess. 

"Hi" Aaron said, even surprising himself of how calm he sounded. His heart wasn't even pounding from excitement anymore. He felt completely relaxed and smiled again. He couldn't believe this gorgeous, tall guy was here for him. "I got you this" he nodded to the pint on the table. "It's probably gone a bit flat now"

"That's ok" Robert laughed. "Thanks" he said as he made sure to sit with his back to the rest of the room, one elbow on the table and his hand up to his face, hiding the best he could. 

Aaron looked at him fidgeting with his hair, he seemed really nervous. "Everything ok?" 

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" Robert quickly replied out of instinct but mentally scolded himself. It wasn't ok. He had to tell the truth. "Uhm, look, there's something I need to tell you, I haven't been completely honest". He swallowed hard and slowly let out some air from his lungs. 

Robert's heart sank as Aaron frowned, already looking at him with disappointment. "This isn't the first time I've been here". 

"Christ, you had me worried there for a while" Aaron laughed. "I kinda figured though since you called it the Wollie in your text. So when have you been here then?"

Seeing the smile back on his face made Robert bottle it. Maybe he could get away with it, no one he knew seemed to be here at the moment. Maybe he could excuse himself to go home early to eliminate any chance of a familiar face walking in. It was possible. 

"Oh great" Aaron sighed. 

"What?"

"Prepare to be questioned, mum just walked in" Aaron grabbed Robert's arm. "Wait, don't turn around, if we ignore her she might just go away" he snickered. 

"I'm pretty sure she'll see you though" Robert whispered back as he looked at Aaron, whose face seemed to be somewhere between playful and... drunk?

Robert could hear the barmaid say something and he could have sworn the voice answering back belonged to Diane. Shit shit shit. 

Aaron noticed Robert tensing. "Relax, she's not that bad".

"No, it's not that. I really need to tell you something, I..."

Before he could finish he heard an old familiar voice behind him. 

"Hiya love!"

"Mum! This is Robert!" he, to his own surprise, happily jumped right in to where the conversation would go, saving her the bother of asking. 

Robert squeezed his eyes shut, he was as trapped as he could be. Slowly, he turned. "Hi Chas".

"Robert!" Diane exclaimed who stood only two steps behind. 

Chas' face had gone from happy to shocked in a nanosecond "Oh no! No way!"

Robert whipped his head back to Aaron "I used to live here and everyone here hates me and I'm Vic's and Andy's brother. And I didn't want to tell you because the Robert who used to live here is not me anymore" he rattled off in a few seconds without catching his breath. "And also because I really really like you" he added before anyone else could get a word in. 

Aaron looked at the three of them, mirroring the shock on Diane's face, his eyes only slightly more hazy. His mother seemed to be fuming and Robert looked so scared he probably thought he was going to deck him. If it hadn't been for his foot, and the two extra painkillers that were clearly kicking in, messing with his mood, he probably would have stormed out of there, but seeing as he was stuck and not able to use his normal reaction he, in spite of himself, started laughing at the absurd situation. 

Of course this wouldn't go as smooth as he'd hoped. Of course something would go pear-shaped.  
Why was his life always the most complicated? Because he was Aaron fuckin' Livesy. That's why. 

Fortuna always seemed to lose his address.


End file.
